Former Ubly standout shifts gears to coaching

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 14, 2008

MIDLAND  A passion for the game, combined with a little bit of luck…

By MIKE BOGAN

MIDLAND  A passion for the game, combined with a little bit of luck, has landed a former Ubly High School standout a job on the bench here as an assistant coach for Northwood University's women's basketball squad.

Darcie (Philp) Roberts, a 2002 Ubly graduate, is in her first year as a full-time assistant with the Timberwolves, who are putting together their best season since the 1990-91 campaign.

It's a position she admits she kind of fell into, but it's something she's enjoying every day.

"I was at the right place at the right time  I kind of got lucky," Roberts said. "And, really, I knew the right people."

Those right people were at Alma College, Roberts' alma mater. As a student assistant in 2006-07, Roberts worked with Ellen Curtis, a full-time assistant with the Scots who just happens to be the wife of Northwood head coach Jeff Curtis.

Jeff Curtis found out Roberts, who had just graduated, was looking for a job. Any job.

The rest, as they say, is history.

"She's been a great fit for us," Curtis said. "The biggest thing is that she has a passion for the game and is constantly learning. She definitely has the personality for coaching."

In addition to being on the bench on game day, Roberts has plans to handle all of the school's summer camps, and has become, in just a short time, a top-notch recruiter. She also tinkers with the team's travel plans, as well working with the Timberwolves' post players.

"Her two main responsibilities are the summer camps and the recruiting," Curtis said. "And she's already given a great effort. Those are the hard parts of the job."

For Roberts, the recruiting trail seems to be taking up much of her time these days.

The good news is that Northwood concentrates on players close to home, including the Bay City/Saginaw/Flint/Mt. Pleasant area. Roberts said, though, she has traveled to areas outside mid-Michigan to recruit, including Lansing, the western part of the state and into other surrounding states.

"There are games every night, so it does get tiring at times," she said. "But it's something you have to do and I enjoy watching the games and players." What she didn't enjoy was learning all the NCAA rules and regulations on recruiting.

"There are so many rules  it's unbelievable," she said. "You have to actually pass a test to go recruiting."

Roberts said Northwood recruits have to be solid players on and off the court. "Chemistry is a huge thing," she said. "A player can have all the skills and all the athletic ability, but they have to be the kind of student-athlete we want at Northwood. You can tell almost every time right away if they are going to work hard, get on the floor for loose balls, things like that. Those are important parts we look for."

This season, the Timberwolves are 16-7 overall, 11-4 GLIAC. They have qualified for the upcoming GLIAC Tournament for the first time ever.

Roberts is proud to be part of school history.

"It's pretty neat," she said. "We're a pretty small team, so we like to push the ball in transition. And we have good leadership, so that's been a big part, too.

"And it's the first year with all of Jeff's kids (Curtis is in his fourth year at Northwood). So that's made a difference."

Roberts is no stranger to on-court success. A three-year varsity starter at Ubly, Roberts (then Philp) averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds her senior season. Roberts, also a standout in volleyball and track, earned all-state honors, and finished her high school career as Ubly's all-time leading scorer with 964 points.

"She was a student of the game, so I am not surprised she got into coaching," said Jeanne Guza, Roberts' high school coach. "Really, she comes from a strong sports family. And she loves the game."

Roberts was recruited by and attended Ferris State University, playing in parts of three seasons for the Bulldogs and seeing action in 60 games.

She then transferred to Alma where she played her final two seasons of her college career. As a senior, Roberts averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game en route to first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors. She ranked seventh in Division III in field goal percentage at over 61 percent.

Curtis said Roberts' collegiate playing experience has been a huge asset for the program.

"She knows the league and how it operates," he said. "And she has a lot of ties around the state."

For now, Roberts is content with being an assistant coach. She won't, however, rule out one day running a program of her own

"Maybe," she said. "I am learning a ton from Jeff and that's great. I am young enough and in a good enough position to where I might want to move up.

"But I also want to have a family some day. And with kids, coaching would be pretty tough. But I do love what I do, so… We'll see."

Roberts is a 2007 graduate of Alma with a degree in sociology. She married her husband Ryan, a biology teacher at Montabella High School, in the summer of 2007.

She is the daughter of Jim and Tammy Philp of Ubly. She has two sisters, Erica and Becky.